Melbourne is also still in the top three, but the loss was a body blow with two rounds to go, particularly knowing how agonisingly short it has fallen in previous seasons.

Brazzale provides a brilliant running goal assist to Walker

00:31
Mar 14. 2020. 10:32 PM

Brooke Walker soccers a major after this huge effort from Lauren Brazzale

Reigning NAB AFLW Rising Star Madison Prespakis was outstanding and arguably the best player afield, gathering 23 disposals and kicking a 40m goal on the run early in the final term.

Prespakis and the creative Chloe Dalton were excellent even when their teammates weren't but Carlton came to life once the likes of Lucy McEvoy, Tayla Harris, Georgia Gee and Grace Egan rose to the occasion.

Egan's lucky bounce puts the cherry on top

00:29
Mar 14. 2020. 9:08 PM

Watch as some big Blue names combine to create a great team goal

Natalie Plane, Gabriella Pound and Vaomua Laloifi were other strong performers as the Blues improved to a 5-1 record.

The Demons should have been further in front than eight points at half-time, amassing double as many inside 50s (15-8) and uncontested possessions (73-36).

Harris proves her ground-level waresStar Blue Tayla Harris is supposed to be "useless" once the ball hits the deck, or at least that was Collingwood defender Stacey Livingstone's take.

There might need to be a rethink on that theory after Harris' effort on Saturday night.

Harris took only two marks – one of them preceding a set-shot goal – but had a hand in plays that led to majors for Brooke Walker, Georgia Gee and Grace Egan after winning ground-balls.

There was also her huge, and fair, hit on Maddie Gay in the third term that left the Demon down for a short period.

Gee gets a slick goal assist from dextrous Harris

00:35
Mar 14. 2020. 8:24 PM

Tayla Harris' quick hands provides a sweet goal assist to Georgia Gee

Walking woundedThis was a physical contest all night in Alice Springs' heat, with a number of players going down during the match.

Kerryn Harrington had her jaw inspected in the first quarter, not long before Aliesha Newman's head crashed into the ground in a tackle from Madison Prespakis.

Both players returned but Harrington was bleeding from the nose after another altercation later in the night.

Melbourne's Sinead Goldrick also left the game in the second term with a 'corkie' after copping an accidental knee.

Say what?"I was absolutely cooked when I got to the end of that and I'm just glad I put it through in the end." – Demons forward Kate Hore on her goal of the year contender

"It was a very hard hitout but it was great I got to see some of my cousins who live here and that made (the win) even more special … we won a really important game and it just shows how hard we worked over the pre-season together and it really (comes out) in games like this." – Carlton midfielder Madison Prespakis

What's next?Carlton returns to the familiar confines of Ikon Park next Saturday to take on newcomer West Coast, while Melbourne's season could be on the line against the high-flying Dockers at Fremantle Oval a day later.